New York Yankees’ fourth outfielder, Aaron Hicks, is tearing it up on the field here in 2016. But who has the strongest arm in franchise history?
By Christian Kouroupakis
On Wednesday night against the Oakland Athletics, Hicks broke Stat Cast history by making the fastest outfield throw ever recorded.
In the top of the fourth inning with one out and runners on the corners, Yonder Alonso skied a high fly ball in left that appeared deep enough to score Danny Valencia.
Hicks made the catch running forward and then fired a one-hop strike into the glove of Brian McCann to nab Valencia to end the inning.
His bullet was clocked at 105.5 MPH which is the fastest ever recorded by Statcast.
So this got us thinking, who had the strongest arm in Yankees history?
Now, of course, we don’t have the luxury to statistically analyze players from way back in the day, but we do have scouting reports and some videos of players showing off their cannons.
Without further adieu, here are the five strongest outfield arms in New York Yankees’ history.
Honorable Mentions
These players are honorable mentions because they simply didn’t spend much time with the Yankees, but their cannons are too good to ignore.
Bobby Abreu:
Abreu not only had one of the strongest arms of his time, but his preciseness was one of the main reasons why he recorded 136 outfield assists during his 18-year career.
He played in the Bronx from 2006-’08.
Raul Mondesi:
Mondesi was nicknamed “El Cannon” therefore he deserves some recognition on this list.
His tenure in pinstripes was short (169 games) but Mondesi had one of baseball’s strongest arms of all time. His resume includes two gold gloves and five seasons in which he recorded more than 10 outfield assists (’94,’95,’96,’97,’01).
Ichiro:
Ichiro spent three years with the Yankees but his vintage defensive days took place during his time with the Seattle Mariners.
From 2001-’10, the Japanese icon won a gold-glove in every year and he was so filthy in the outfield that runners wouldn’t even bother running on him.
Ichiro currently owns the third most outfield assists among active players with 118.
Other Honorable Mentions:
Carlos Beltran, Gary Sheffield, Andruw Jones, Jay Buhner
5. Jesse Barfield
His tenure in New York wasn’t long (1989-’92) but Jesse Barfield has to be one of the most underrated ballplayers I can think of.
Barfield had a jaw-dropping cannon that was one of the most accurate of his time. On a daily basis, the two-time gold glove award winner would throw perfect strikes from right field to home.
It was common knowledge to never get greedy and take an extra base with Barfield in the outfield. That is just begging for trouble.
In his twelve-year major league career, he threw out 162 runners including 46 in his four years sporting Yankee pinstripes.
If it weren’t a “Yankees” list, Barfield would run circles around everyone on this list. But since his time here was limited, he’ll stay at number five.
4. Paul O’Neill
Paul O’Neill played nine amazing seasons manning the right field position for the New York Yankees. Not only did he hit 185 home runs and maintain a .303 batting average, but he was epic on the field.
As a Yankee, he recorded 58 of his total 118 outfield assists and his career fielding percentage was a marvelous .988.
Many consider him to have an average arm, but on many plays (like the one above) he would surprise you with a bullet from the deepest parts of the outfield.
He’s not one of the players that struck fear into baserunners, but the “Warrior” constantly terrorized guys trying to take extra bases throughout his 17 years in Major League Baseball.
3. Dave Winfield
Dave Winfield’s arm is so strong, he once killed a bird with a warmup throw.
On August 4, 1983, Winfield was having a catch with a Toronto Blue Jays’ ball boy when his throw nailed a seagull, killing it on the spot.
Being they were in Toronto, Winfield was actually arrested for bestowing cruelty upon an animal. The charges were dropped, but man what a story.
The year prior, Winfield led the league with 17 assists and recorded 166 for his career while winning a total of seven gold glove awards.
Scouts raved about how powerful his arm was, but they would also comment on how it was inaccurate at times. Regardless, his arm strength was literally deadly.
2. Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle is known, like the next man on this list, for his monstrous strength in regards to hitting but many forget that he had one of the strongest outfield arms of all time.
His nickname was “muscles” and scouts raved over how strong and accurate his arm was. According to baseball historians, he only had 117 career assists due to the fact that no one had the courage to run on his arm.
Without a doubt, the ability he had to throw out a runner will constantly be overshadowed by the 1956 Triple-Crown Winner’s historical switch-hitting abilities.
1. Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth made his mark on the game of baseball with his bat, not arm, but many people tend to forget that the Great Bambino’s arm might be in the conversation for the strongest in the history of baseball.
Ruth, an ex-pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, recorded 204 outfield assists which is good enough for 48th on the all-time list in outfield assists.
Keep in mind, Ruth recorded a total of 549 assists and spent the beginning portion of his career as a pitcher. Imagine where his outfield assist total would be if he had been an outfielder all his life.
Do you agree or disagree with the ranking of the strongest arms in Yankee history? Which arm do you think deserves to be mentioned alongside these historic figures? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.